Family
by ibreak4CSI
Summary: [Paire oneshot] Future!fic.  'She laughed at the mistake, and he kissed her because he loved her in spite of the fact that she was still a cheerleader at heart.'


**Summary: Future!fic. Once upon a time, there were two people. Their names were Peter and Claire, and this is the story of their life together.**

**For: literarylemming**

**Rating: PG-13/T**

**Notes: Written for the paireexchange over on LJ.**

**Warning: Cesty Paire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with the television show Heroes. The actions in this fic are not meant to encourage any illegal and/or immoral activities. It was written for entertainment purposes only.**

**Family**

The first rays of sunshine peeked through the window, the faint streams of light bouncing off the walls the sole source of illumination in the otherwise darkened room. If it would have been in the country, a rooster would have crowed, but this was suburban Ohio. If you listened, you could hear the occasional car driving by, the workaholic on his way to the office or some teenagers finally dragging themselves back home, exhausted from a wild Friday night of partying.

A queen size bed rested in the corner of the navy blue painted room, headboard against a wall, the end pointed towards the window, so that the streams of light fell a mere foot above it. On the mattress lay two bodies, the lovers' limbs entangled in post-coital bliss.

Clothes were strewn about haphazardly about the otherwise clean room from hours before, and the atmosphere could not have been more comfortable or loving or intimate.

"How about Maci?" Claire asked, head resting on the edge her pillow, facing Peter. He was lying in a similar position, merely inches from her, their legs entwined at the other end of the bed.

"Like the store?"

"No, that's spelled with a 'y.' I meant with an 'i.'"

"I don't think so."

"Spoilsport," she teased affectionately.

"What about Angelina?"

"You really think I want you naming our child after the object of your fantasies?"

"Oh, Claire, You know you're the only one I fantasize about."

"Aw," her smile was saccharine, "How sweet. A complete load of bull, but sweet nonetheless."

"It was worth a try," he gave her that lop-sided grin she loved so much and dropped a quick kiss on her lips.

"Your turn."

"How about Cassy?"

"Cassie," he tried the name, as if memorizing the way it flowed from his tongue, waited a few seconds and said it again. "I like it."

"It would be spelled with a 'y,' though, instead of the normal 'ie.'"

"What is it with you and the weird spellings?"

"I just want our child to know from the very beginning that she's special. And I want her to know that it's a good thing."

"Cassy with a 'y,' it is."

--

They had moved to Ohio about eight months before.

They had kept their first names, of course. After all, Peter's and Claire's could be found all over the country; they were common enough names. It was only their last names that they had changed.

They had been discussing it once when Claire suggested Parker. Peter laughed, and when she looked at him, all clueless, indignant, and most of all, cute, he dug through his possessions to show her an old Spiderman comic. She laughed at the mistake, and he kissed her because he loved her in spite of the fact that she was still a cheerleader at heart, more interested in movies than comics. That earned him a playful punch on the arm, and somehow they wound up kissing for quite a while longer than intended, thoughts of any kind effectively erased for the moment.

The name grew on both of them, though, and it elicited pleasant memories.

A week later, they were Claire and Peter Parker.

--

"I just got off the phone with Mohinder again."

"What did he say?" Claire questioned, looking up from her stance in front of the kitchen counter, spoon covered with cupcake mix in hand.

"He says that there is no reason to be worried; the chance of defects is hardly increased. There is a very good chance that our child will be completely normal."

"Good," she sighed with relief. "That's what I've read on the internet...but it's just so much more reassuring coming from him."

"I know. He also says that normally, there would be about a 91 chance that a child would have powers with ancestors that are carriers of these kinds of genetic anomalies. And given the fact that we both are, there is practically a 100 chance."

Claire nodded. "That makes sense."

"He also said that it's more than likely she will regenerate, since that's your power, and I've also absorbed it."

"Good. I'll know how to identify with her more if we share the same power." She said, placing a hand over her slightly swollen, apron-covered stomach.

"Have I told you how adorable you look in that outfit?" Peter said, sneaking around behind Claire to press a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"Peter, I'm busy," she reprimanded, the obvious smile in her voice softening the words.

"You can make cupcakes later."

"Pete-oh."

She felt his hands travel certain places that made her eyes squeeze shut and her hand lose its grasp on the mixing spoon.

"You're not playing fair," she complained.

"All's fair in love and war."

"I have to finish..."

"What were you saying?" Claire could feel his wide grin against the nape of her neck. "Did you say you could finish this later? Good."

She rolled her eyes as she spun around to kiss him, and it turned out that the cupcakes could wait a couple of hours.

--

"She's so..." Peter couldn't even finish his sentence as he stared down at the petite blond in the hospital bed holding a miniscule bundle of soft blankets with the tiniest pink baby face peeking through the folds. She was asleep, eyes shut, the soft infant lashes dusting her cheeks.

"Breathtaking. Beautiful."

"She's the most gorgeous baby in the world."

"Yeah." Claire's voice was choked with tears.

"The doctor's say that aside from being a little undersized, she's completely healthy."

"I know, they told me."

Peter perched himself on the edge of the bed, just watching the beautiful scene before him.

"Do you want...?" Claire questioned, the end to the question silent but audible to Peter's ears.

"Please."

It seemed to Peter that the infinitesimal bundle in his arms could not have weighed more than a few sheets of paper. He felt tears sting his eyes.

"Hey there, Cassy." He had to clear his throat a little, but his gentle whisper was still a little husky when he continued. "This is Daddy. You're the most beautiful girl in the world, you know? Besides your mom. But you're even pretty close to her."

He moved his hand so that his right index finger just brushed against the tiny hand, and her miniscule fingers latched onto the tip.

Peter didn't think he had ever felt more overwhelmed by emotion than he did right at that moment.

He turned to hand the sleeping Cassy back to Claire after a few minutes, only to find that she was asleep, sweaty blond locks sticking to her forehead and tumbling down around her shoulders.

He glanced down at the extraordinarily small infant dozing in his arms.

_This_ was his family.

_This_ was love.

--

Peter and Claire invited several of their fellow Heroes to Cassy's first birthday party. Niki, DL, Micah, Mohinder and Molly showed up.

It was the first time Peter and Claire had seen them since they left, and only the second time they had had contact of any kind with any of them but Mohinder. It was okay for them to stay together in small groups, such as two or three, but any more than that for any substantial amount of time would just be inviting trouble.

However, for this one special day, the rules could be bent. As long as they were careful, which they were.

There were hugs and kisses and congratulations issued all around when the guests arrived. They happened to arrive while Cassy was taking her morning nap so that gave the adults a chance to catch up with each other.

A couple new threats to the Heroes had developed within the last year, but none of them were exceedingly worrying. As long as the proper precautions were taken, there was no reason any of them should be in more danger then usual.

Micah and Molly were ecstatic to see each other again. In the brief time they had been together in New York, they had developed a friendship.

It was quite adorable, the way they greeted each other shyly, but in minutes, they were talking as if they hadn't been apart for a second. It was amazing how kids could do that.

After about twenty minutes, Cassy's cries could be heard from the baby monitor Claire kept with her at all times. She excused herself, and a few seconds later, appeared back in the living room with Cassy in her arms.

Her soft blonde hair was still mussed from her nap, her cheeks slightly flushed, dark brown eyes still hazy with sleep.

"She's got her Daddy's eyes," Niki commented.

"That she does," Claire agreed with an affectionate look at her and Peter's child.

"But she has Claire's hair." Peter added, twisting one of Claire's curls loosely around his finger before letting it fall.

After Cassy had woken up a little bit more, she started making the rounds. First Niki held her, and she was just kind of passed clock-wise around the living room amongst numerous sighs and coos and She's so cute's.

Micah was her favorite, though. For no apparent reason, she took an instant liking to the quiet boy, smiling up at him with her four tiny baby teeth.

It was pretty much your average birthday party, with cake and talking and presents and singing. It lasted about six hours. Then Cassy began to get cranky because she was late for her afternoon nap, and everyone knew that it was about time for them to part ways again.

Many things were exchanged. Hugs and promises of bi-monthly phone calls to keep each other in the basic loop for the girls. Handshakes and slaps on the back for the guys. Encouraging words flew all around, in spite of – or possibly because of – the fact that there was no way to know whether they would all see each other again.

That evening, Cassy was asleep, and the house seemed unnaturally quiet. Peter and Claire were the only people in the living room, and it was hard to believe that just a few hours before, there had been a party going on. Laughter and punch and cake, and now all that was left were limp balloons which had lost most of their helium, discarded wrapping paper, and used paper plates.

But they had been there, and Peter and Claire were thankful for that.

--

Cassy was four years old when Claire took her to the park for the first time.

She and Peter had been talking about it for a couple weeks, and after a morning of finger painting and a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Claire decided that today was the day.

It was the perfect day; the sun was bright and there were only a few puffy white clouds in the crystalline blue sky.

The first thing Cassy did was the slide, and after half an hour, it was decided that that was definitely her favorite. A couple other children were there, too, and after a little while, they all gravitated together. Even though she didn't interact with other children a lot, Cassy loved the company. She laughed with the other little boy and girl who were there with her.

The two women who were apparently the other kids' mothers were sitting on the metal bench next to Claire's.

After inspecting them covertly for any sign that they might not be just the average soccer moms that they appeared to be, Claire decided that they weren't a threat and let Cassy continue to play with the other children.

She even wound up talking to the women. It turned out that their names were Sandra, "but please call me Sandy," and Alice. They were basically the only two people who came to this park regularly, because there was a larger one not too far away that many more people frequented.

Claire had chosen this one for exactly that reason.

They were interrupted once when Ben, Sandy's five-year-old son, fell off the jungle gym, and scraped his elbow. He cried, and Cassy and Dawn, Alice's four-year-old daughter, watched as the blood dribbled down his arm. Sandy went to help him to the bench, cleaned his wound with an antiseptic wipe, put a Band-Aid in place, and kissed it better.

Two minute later, they were playing as if nothing had happened.

Claire and the other women were interrupted again when Cassy fell and scraped her knee on the concrete walking path that circled the playground. Claire jumped up immediately to rush to Cassy. She stood so that Ben and Dawn couldn't see Cassy, turning her away from the other mothers.

Claire watched as the small amount of blood was drawn back into her child's body, the skin of her knee mending itself in a matter of seconds.

"I think that's about enough for today, don't you, Cassy?" she asked.

"I guess." Cassy pouted a little, but for the most part, she was a good child and didn't like arguing with Claire.

Claire turned back around to exchange a smile and wave with the women on the bench, and Cassy said bye to her new friends.

As Claire was driving back home in the mini van, Cassy asked the question Claire had known was coming.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?" She met Cassy's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"Why didn't I do what that boy did?"

"What do you mean?"

"He bleeded. His mommy had to wipe it off."

Claire had rehearsed this moment many times in her mind, but she had never really known how she was going to feel when it finally came to pass. Now that the moment was here, she felt…nervous. But a little relieved.

"Well, honey, it's because you're special."

"What d'you mean?" The small voice was puzzled.

"You can do things that most people can't. You see, bleeding isn't good, so bodies heal. Something called a scab forms over the place the body is hurt, and then eventually, the hurt part heals and is normal again. Yours can just heal extra, extra fast."

"Oh." She took that in. "Why can I do it?"

"Because Mommy can, too."

"You can?"

"Mmhmm. And since Mommy can, you can."

Claire pulled up in the driveway, parking the mini van next to Peter's car.

"What 'bout Dawn? Can she heal extra-fast?"

"No, sweetie." Claire got out of the van, walked around, and watched as Cassy unbuckled herself from her toddler seat.

"Is it like a super power?"

"Kind of, yes." She smiled.

"Can I tell my friends?" Claire paused, making sure that she held eye contact with Cassy as she answered.

"No, you can never tell anybody. Okay, Cassy?"

"Why not?"

"It's like a really big, special secret." Claire said as they walked through the door to find Peter sitting on the living room couch, reading a book. "No one can ever know."

Cassy nodded. "Okay. What about Daddy?"

"What about him"

"Does he have special powers, too?"

"Yep."

"So...Daddy's a super hero?" Cassy's voice was hopeful.

Claire smiled gently, her eyes meeting Peter's above their daughter's head. "Yes, he is."

--

Peter's eyes immediately told Claire something was wrong as she sat with an eight-year-old Cassy at the kitchen table, helping her with her homework.

"I'll be back in a minute, Cassy."

"Mmkay."

Peter led Claire to their room on the other side of the house. They didn't shut the door, so they could see Cassy if she decided to come investigate.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked, her tone hushed.

Peter's voice was equally quiet. "I'm going to have to leave for a week."

"Why?"

"There's…someone. Something. I have to help with."

"Peter, what's going on?"

"There's a man. Again."

"Sylar?"

"No, he really is dead this time."

"Good."

"But this man…well, he isn't much better. And he may know about Cassy."

Claire's eyes widened, her heart nearly stopping.

"He still doesn't know where we live," Peter hastened to add. "And we're going to make sure that he never does."

"I really hate it when you have to go on these things. There are others who can help. Can't you just stay here and protect us?" Claire knew it was selfish, but she couldn't help asking.

"You know I can't."

Claire sighed.

"This is only the third one."

"But still! Do you have any idea how much I worry about you?"

"Probably as much as I worry about you."

"I'll be fine. You just need to concentrate so you can do whatever needs doing and then get your butt back here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Peter pulled her into a hug.

"Take care. Please just promise me that you'll be extra careful." Peter said.

"I will. And the same goes for you."

"I promise. I love you, Claire." He whispered against her ear.

"I love you, too."

--

Years passed. Barbies turned into basketball which turned into boys.

Cassy was sixteen when she went out on her first date. And then it was only after Peter called in a few connections and had the boy and all of his immediate relatives checked out.

Secretly, they were almost hoping that something turned up. At least then they would have an excuse to deny the boy's request to take their daughter out.

But it didn't. The family was clean as a whistle.

The night it happened, Claire almost cried as she watched Cassy walk down the stairs in an almost decent mini skirt, a cute top, and make-up that looked completely natural, as if she woke up looking just like that.

Claire knew for a fact that it was deceiving, though, as she knew that Cassy and Dawn – the girl she had met at the park and was now her best friend – had been working on that particular look for a good two hours.

She remembered those times. It made her smile just to think about them. For her, those years had been cut short by a discovery of an ability that was nothing short of a miracle.

But it was that ability that had brought her Peter.

Which brought her thoughts full circle, as she opened the door for the boy – Michael was his name – who just might be Cassy's Peter.

But, God, she hoped not. She wasn't ready for that.

Peter's hand subtly grabbed her own as he stood beside her in front of the door, watching Michael and Cassy exchange greetings.

"Be back by eleven." Peter warned sternly, but with kind eyes and a soft smile in his daughter's direction.

"Okay, Dad."

"We will be, sir." Michael said, and a few seconds later, the two were gone, the door shut.

"He called me sir."

"That's a sign of respect, you know."

"It made me feel old."

Claire grinned.

"Hey, at least Cassy has good taste. She could have chosen one that called you…I don't know, 'dude.'"

"I don't think I've heard anyone say that word in fifteen years."

"Well, what do you know? You're an old man." She teased.

"Are they gone yet?" Dawn's voice came from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, Dawn," Claire said, looking up through the doorway at the tall, willowy brunette.

"Good. I guess I can leave now," she said as she descended toward them.

"You're welcome to stay if you like."

"Nah, that's okay. I had some stuff I was going to do tonight."

"All right. Bye, then."

"Bye," Dawn said as she walked out the front door and closed it behind her.

"And we're alone."

"I still can't believe our daughter's on a date."

"You're going to be fixated on that all night, aren't you?" Claire asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Oh, don't tell me you aren't."

"Maybe."

"If you say so."

Claire sighed as she collapsed onto the living room couch next to Peter, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"A date."

"Yep."

"She's getting old."

"Yep."

"She's going to move away before we know it."

"Nope."

"What?"

"I've made the decision that I'm going to chain her to the bed when she's ready for college. What's your stance on Homeschooling?"

Claire smiled. "Peter…"

"What? I thought it was pretty brilliant."

"You're crazy."

"But you love me."

"Yes, though I still don't know why."

"It's my stunning wit."

"Yes, that must be it."

The lapsed into comfortable silence.

"You know, she really will be going away soon. I mean, normal people have problems with all the pressure and just…life in general. And she has so much more to worry about. What if she can't handle it?" Claire asked.

"Then we'll be here for her." Peter pressed a kiss into her hair. "Besides, she'll be able to handle it. She's just like her mother"

--

Peter and Claire watched as Cassy crossed the stage. Top 5 percent of her class; headed to Brown in the fall. Their hands were joined tightly together as their baby stepped out of childhood and into adulthood wearing a cap, gown, and a tassel that switched sides as she reached the other side of the stage.

After the ceremony, they all hugged. Long and hard, a family that actually knew and appreciated each other, bound together by something stronger than anything else in the world.

This was family.

This was love.

**The End **


End file.
